San Francisco Steak House?

[monday]

My boyfriend is planning a bachelor party, and they want to have a
"manly" dinner at a steakhouse in SF. I've read some old posts on the subject, but would love some fresh input. The plan now is to go to Harris'. Is Acme much better? If so, is it clubby enough? Most of the group is not picky, but the groom is a bit of a foodie. This is not my area of dining expertise! Thanks for your help.

[monday]

Thanks very much for all of your help. I'll pass on the info & let you know what happens. Cheers!

[Maya]

In rerearding the OP's criteria, I would really have to say Alfred's is the best choice.

[ChowFun_derek]

Alfred's would be a good choice...very 'clubby', lots of dark wood, 'tuxedoed' waiters, and very good meat. They also have private dining rooms upstairs for large parties.

[ChowFun_derek]

Honestly, I never thought Harris was particularly good...although it is a time warpy kind of space...
The Brazilian steak/meat house in S.F. mentioned in one of the earlier responses is Espetus Churrascuria...here's a link to their website:

http://www.espetus.com/

[Jeni Bean]

Espetus would be great for a Bachelor party. They don't rush you and the whole point is to stuff yourself sick. Plus, they make a mean caipirinha with real cachaca.

I love it there, and compared to other steak dinners it is more reasonably priced for what you get -- all you can eat steak and "salad bar." The salad bar is so much more than the name would imply.

[Robert Lauriston]

The one thing about Espetus is that you don't get a steak. They carve off a gyro-like spit.

[ChowFun_derek]

No definitely not A steak, (that's why I characterized it as a steak/meat house)... but steak is definitely one of the great variety of meats to be sampled....and the quality is a good bit higher than gyros I have experienced, and they aren't cooked in a revolving gyro/schwarma kind of oven.

[Civil Bear]

That's not really fair. Gyros spits tend to contain pressed meats, while churrascarias serve specific cuts of meat slice at the table from their skewers.

[TLR]

Bobo's is hands down the BEST steak house in SF. In fact in my whole life I have never had a better steak. Dimagio's is the new kid (haven't been yet) but Bobo's... Oh, it makes me crazy just thinking about it.

[jflesh]

Have done each of Morton's and Ruth's Chris recently, and
say with some reluctance that of these two I prefer the latter. Morton's draws a tamer "upscale" crowd, but the filet there was less flavorful and just a bit dry in comparison to the filet at Ruth's Chris, which was moist, tender, and delicious. Have also enjoyed pretty good lobster at RC too.

Obviously they serve thousands of pieces of meat at each, so my experience is probably in no way indicative of their offerings generally.

Service was a little annoying at Morton's too. The "flourish" of bringing out the meat (and raw potato!) before the meal seemed like a waste of energy given the crowd and overstressed
staff -- and the uncooked lobster the waiter toted around looked severely depressed. This was showmanship for "types of cuts" rather than an opportunity to pick the exact piece of meat on our plates. Wasteful theatrics unless diners aren't familiar with basic cuts. Staff had an otherwise hard time keeping up, though in their defense the restaurant was VERY busy that night.

RC draws kind of a fratboy crowd sometimes, which isn't ideal, but the food and service have been consistently good, and
it's at least 15% cheaper than Morton's.

Personally look forward to trying some of the other steakhouses mentioned in this thread.

Did REALLY enjoy a meal at Big Four several years back -- had wild boar that was excellent. But the ambience there seemed more calm and romantic, and not necessarily suitable for a bachelor party. Seem to recall a piano player (and also a whole bunch of mirrors near the bathrooms, which is probably less relevant). Probably a good choice after the wedding.

J.

[kc72]

Izzy's has always been a favorite w/ my friends. Prices are decent, food is good and close to the bars in the Marina.

Or how about one of the Brazilian steakhouses?

[Jeni Bean]

I have been to the Izzy's on the Peninsula and I was NOT impressed. The steak was not up to par with other steak houses, and the service was hit-or-miss. Also, the sides were NOT good.

JB

[Robert Lauriston]

I haven't been to the SF branch for a while, so it may have changed, but even when I went and liked it, Izzy's was not a high-end steakhouse like Alfred's, Harris', or Acme. But it was significantly cheaper.

[pilinut]

Second that. Hubby and I both had steaks (different cuts) and both were really disappointing. Not just overdone, but meat quality was barely Safeway caliber: tough, watery, tasteless.

[sfsand]

There's also Ruth's Chris on Van Ness.
Bob's Steak and Chop has a nice bar area but the dining room is very basic hotel style.
I haven't eaten at Dimaggio's but I walked through it to see the design and it definitely has that steak house / new york feel.

[himbeer]

there is also bobo's on Lombard. a friend hosted a bachelor party at Izzy's. they were not thrown out for putting on masks of the groom's face.

[beer786]

you could go to mortons for a big slab of prime beef.

[Scott M]

You could try Joe Dimaggio's Chop House. Dimaggio, baseball, Marilyn Monroe, 40s/50s era swank.

http://www.joedimaggiosrestaurant.com/

[rtmonty]

Had a friend in town from Dallas and he took his son to DiMaggio's. He pronounced it a solid "A", loved it.

[Robert Lauriston]

DiMaggio's is part of a small chain based in Walnut Creek that also runs the similar (as regards food) Bing Crosby's and McCovey's in Walnut Creek.

[Gary Soup]

I'd call it more of a "Group" than a chain. The Menus are quite different. The celebrity theme seems to be the only common element.

I was skeptical, but the initial reviews of DiMaggios have been strongly positive.

[Maya]

Alfred's, Bob's, Morton's, HOPR, John's Grill, Harris'. Also The Big Four is a good bachelor-party dinner destination.

[Robert Lauriston]

What's Bob's?

House of Prime Rib is great but not a steak house.

[Melanie Wong]

A Texas steakhouse with a location in SF's Omni Hotel.

Here's the website, but the SF menu isn't on it.
http://www.bobs-steakandchop.com/inde...

I've emailed the manager before asking for the menu but no response.

[Gary Soup]

Menupages has the menu (in their own format) at:

http://tinyurl.com/fqcxo

[The Dive]

I've been to Bob's and it's nothing special. Plus, it's hard to shake the feeling that you're in a hotel and everyone is on expense accounts (including me when I was there). They also give you a whole cooked carrot as a side dish that's supposed to their "thing" but instead comes across as just weird and overly sweet.

[Robert Lauriston]

Alfred's is probably the men's-clubbiest. Acme's not at all.